


Keep Me (like a secret)

by Luthor



Category: League of Legends
Genre: Alternate Universe - K/DA, Coming Out/Going Public, F/F, K/DA, very mild implied homophobia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-11
Updated: 2018-11-11
Packaged: 2019-08-22 03:50:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16590332
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luthor/pseuds/Luthor
Summary: Evelynn breaks her relationship with Ahri to the world the only way that she knows how: by stepping on a few toes in the process.





	Keep Me (like a secret)

“ _Inappropriate_?”

The room falls silent at Evelynn’s interruption.

Up until now, she has remained silent, sitting in a chair identical to Ahri’s in their manager’s office while the man himself (Yung— who looks older than he is at forty-seven, with a head full of salt and pepper hair, and wrinkles to match) talks at them. The following silence presses in at the room as though it, too, wishes to escape the tension. The clock against the wall behind Yung’s desk sounds all the louder with every tick that clicks on by.

Evelynn holds her manager’s gaze, unblinking.

“In what way?” she presses.

Beside her, Ahri adjusts her position. “I don’t think he meant—”

“Let him speak.”

Ahri winces and sinks further into her chair. She and her manager share a brief, wide-eyed glance, in which something of a silent conversation passes between them. Evelynn allows it. A small part of her cringes just to see Ahri, from the blur of her peripheral, fold herself into her chair as though making herself any smaller will hide her from this entire confrontation. She will make it up to her, later.

Opposite them, Yung stammers.

His mouth opens and closes like a fish being forced to the surface against its will. He looks between the pair of them, the only two present bar himself in his office, but neither woman comes to his aid. Seeing this, he clears his throat and readjusts his position in the chair as though to make himself more comfortable.

“Of course, I didn’t mean it _like that_ ,” he says, with an uncomfortable wave of his hand. Evelynn remains perfectly stoic in response. “I couldn’t care less about your relationship to one another, until it starts causing you problems. When there’s problems for you, there’s problems for me, and when there’s problems for me—”

“I’m sure it won’t come to that,” Ahri cuts in before Yung can aggravate the situation any further. She casts a sideward glance toward Evelynn, who appears not to have moved a muscle since they first took their seats in Yung’s office, some ten minutes prior. “We’re both responsible adults, after all.”

Yung leans back in his chair and squints between the pair of them. “You can’t deny that there’s a possibility for this to get _messy_ ,” he says, and, well, no. Ahri can’t. Yung waves another hand – he is an animated speaker, often using gestures to make up for where his words fall short. “But, that’s irrelevant. I don’t care about that. What I care about is selling records, and what you’re proposing won’t sell me any.”

In the chair beside Ahri’s, Evelynn tilts her head from side to side until her neck cracks. There’s something of a mild blur surrounding her, almost like an emotional aura— it’s very vaguely purple-grey and buzzing with pent-up energy. Ahri recognises Evelynn’s impulse to dissolve into that shadowy, wispy cloud of smoke that she can hide in, when she has the need (and she so rarely has the need, these days) to stalk for prey.

It reminds Ahri of a snake preparing to detach its jaw in the aftermath of a fresh kill.

“I think you’ll find,” she speaks up, hoping to avoid further upset, or at least delay it, “that we have a huge following from the queer community.”

Yung makes a dismissive noise.

“That’s not your primary audience.”

“Maybe it should be,” Ahri presses.

Yung shifts in his seat, again, like he just can’t get comfortable, and Ahri already knows that the suggestion has been dismissed. He waves another hand, confirming her suspicion. “Let’s not get into the logistics of re-branding,” he says, face scrunching up, like it’s both an inevitable outcome from Ahri and Evelynn’s suggestion, and also an extremely unwanted one. “What we have now is working for us.” 

“I don’t see how ‘rebranding’ comes into it,” Ahri says, struggling not to lose her temper.

“Well, of course, it would. You’re a girl group— _attainability_ sells. You become ten times less attractive the second that you lose that, and once it’s gone, it’s gone. The industry is saturated with other girls who will fill your space as soon as you leave it empty. That’s just how this business works – like a machine, it’s predictable, you put in the right combination to get the desired outcome. The second you start mixing that combination up is when is things get messy. Nobody wants messy. Messy doesn’t sell.”

Ahri places her hands carefully upon her chair’s armrests, fingers digging in around the plush leather.

“It’s true that we want to sell records and spread our music around the world,” Ahri says, and she is picking her words with care, “but not at the expense of our integrity. Whether or not we’re found _attractive_ is irrelevant.”

Yung waves a hand, and Ahri just about manages to bite her tongue to keep in a building outburst.

“With all due respect, Miss Ahri, I have a decade on you and I know how this industry runs. By denying that illusion of attainability, and for Miss Evelynn here, more than most, you’re essentially—”

Ahri’s hearing momentarily blanks.

She feels white-hot anger carry her to her feet, and before she can process what she is doing, she is looming over Yung’s desk with a hand slammed down on whatever stack of documents he has sitting there.

“With _all due respect_ ,” she says, “Evelynn and I are _not_ attainable, we’re in a relationship. A sexual relationship. And, I am not sorry if that makes you, or any other member of the public, uncomfortable. We are not dolls made to look attractive so that we can peddle the most records, and make the most money, and fill your pockets. We are real people, and we are making music because we’re passionate about it, because we have a message to spread— more so to all the people out there who have somebody like you in their lives making them feel like they will only succeed if they present themselves in a way that is _desirable to others_.”

In her outburst, the stack of documents beneath her hand partially disrupts.

Yung watches as the pile almost scatters, barely contained beneath the flat of Ahri’s palm. His hands skid forward as though to catch a spillage that does not come.  

Ahri regards him, her face flushed, her breathing laboured. When she is feeling slightly more composed, she continues.

“We may only come across as one girl group amongst thousands to you, Mr. Yung, but we will not compromise who we are as human beings – as _women_ – for money. If that causes conflict between us then I’m afraid there’s really only one outcome, isn’t there?”

With that, Ahri straightens the pile of papers on the desk, and then herself.

Before she can leave, Yung reaches a hand out to stop her. He’s too far away, partially un-seated, to actually make contact with her over the desk, but when Ahri casts his hand a reproachful look, he instantly withdraws it.

“Now, let’s not be hasty,” he hurries to say. “Let’s not make decisions like that in the middle of a disagreement— that’s all this is, isn’t it? We’ll find a way to work around it, of course, so that all parties involved are satisfied with the outcome. I apologise if I have offended you, Miss Ahri, Miss Evelynn, you must realise that was not my intention. As your manager, it’s my job to have a one-track-mind on the numbers, on promoting you to the best of my ability, to help you spread your music, yes?”

Ahri purses her lips.

She does not want to argue with him, and it’s the only reason that she re-takes her seat.

Beside her, Evelynn places a hand on her arm. She’s no longer thrumming restlessly around the edges.

“We’ll discuss this further,” Ahri says, and Yung is quick to agree. “But surely you don’t expect us to hide our relationship in the meantime?”

“‘ _Hide’_ perhaps isn’t the word I would use, no,” Yung agrees, leaning forward to rest his elbows on the desk, hands clasped in front of him. He looks momentarily caught between being deep in thought, and pained. “But, let us discuss this properly at a future date, when tempers aren’t so high, and we can come to a conclusion that you will find satisfactory. If, in the meantime, you can remain _discreet_ , I’m sure we’ll reach the best outcome when we next sit down to discuss this.”

Ahri wants to argue further, but she can sense already that it will do them no good, that she has already pushed as far as she will be able to, in this meeting.

She does not wish to delay further progress, but to get this resolved once and for all, right here and now. Although, time away from this office is time in which she can prepare better arguments, a more compelling case, or just a stronger ultimatum should it come to the absolute worst, until they next sit down again. She just hates that she has to prepare anything at all.

“Very well,” she agrees, with clear dissatisfaction.

When she stands to leave the room, Evelynn lingers behind.

Ahri does not hear her say a word to Yung about the matter, but the man looks visibly unsettled when Ahri casts a glance over her shoulder to see what’s keeping the other woman.

“Reschedule this meeting,” Evelynn calls as they’re exiting, “when you have something better to tell us.”

 

 

They make their return to their shared accommodation in silence.

In the car beside Ahri, Evelynn hyper-focuses on the road. Her profile is hard lines and sharp edges, while Ahri watches her and thinks of something to say that will make the situation better. The car comes to a stop before she settles on the right words, and that same silence follows them through the garage and up the staircase to their living quarters.

Evelynn directs herself toward the second lot of stairs, leading up to their bedrooms, while Ahri lingers behind.

“ _Discreet_ ,” she hears from the staircase, a sibilant hiss that bounces off the walls with the sound of Evelynn’s heeled footsteps. A part of Ahri wants to follow her up, but it’s best to leave her, sometimes, at least for a little bit. Evelynn will come to her when she needs her, and she will need her, so Ahri does not rush it.

She’s still standing at the foot of the staircase when a door cracks open, and Kai’Sa and Akali peer out.

“How did it go?” Akali asks as they near her.

Ahri tries to make the expression on her face look encouraging – hopeful. The result brings a quiet grumble from Akali’s lips, her hands shoved into her pockets in frustration, and Kai’Sa simply opens her arms out. Ahri walks into them with a sigh, and feels a little better when Kai’Sa squeezes her so tightly that she almost lifts her off the ground.

“I’m so sorry,” Kai’Sa says.

“It’s total bullshit,” Akali grunts, patting her shoulder. “Fuck what he says anyway, you know? He can’t control your lives. He shouldn’t even get a say.”

Ahri sighs in defeated agreement.

“Where’s Evelynn?”

“She’s upstairs,” Ahri says, withdrawing from Kai’Sa. “I thought she was going to lose it, but then— I kinda snapped.”

“You did?” Akali asks. She looks far too pleased with the idea. “What did you say?”

“I barely remember… I was just so frustrated, and then he mentioned _attainability_ , as if that was all we had to offer.” Her voice turns a little shrill by the end, and Ahri takes a deep breath in to calm herself. She does not want to lose her temper again. She does not want to _relive_ that stifling fifteen minutes from Yung’s office, if she can help it.

“Bastard,” Akali whispers, and Kai’Sa’s lips twist with equal dissatisfaction.

“There’s got to be something that we can do,” she says, looking between Ahri and Akali, her expression thoughtful if displeased. Ahri can practically see her doing the calculations, writing up a hypothetical pros-and-cons list within her head, brainstorming ideas. “We’ll come up with something, between us.”

“Yung wants another meeting,” Ahri says, “so it would be good to have something prepared, I suppose.”

“And, what’s he expect you to do until then?” Akali presses, her face scrunching up. “Just pretend you’re not dating?”

“That is the gist of it,” Evelynn says from the bottom of the stairs, and they all turn to see her. She hadn’t made a noise in her descent, but her heels click against the floor as she nears their group, arms wrapped around her own middle. Ahri casts her a small smile, while Akali slings an arm over her shoulder once she’s within reaching distance.

“Want me to kick his ass?” Akali asks. “I’ll do it.”

“Seeing that would actually make me feel better,” Evelynn agrees, and Akali retreats just far enough to give a low, respectful bow before her.

“ _On my honour_ — it shall be done.”

“This isn’t a battle we fight with fists,” Kai’Sa tuts, but she’s smiling as she nudges Akali aside, who is still mid-bow and almost trips. “But we will have to do something. He can’t treat you like this, and he can’t, technically, _stop you_ from going public. What’s the worst that can happen if you do?”

Ahri cringes at the thought. “I don’t want this to end in a big falling out,” she says. “I’m sure it’s all coming from a numbers-perspective, and less his personal intolerance, which means we can still make him see sense. He sees us as his little money-making machines, but that’s the industry, isn’t it? I don’t think he’s being purposefully hateful.”

“That may be true,” Kai’Sa agrees, “but it’s still causing us a problem.”

She places a solid hand on Evelynn’s shoulder, and the other woman sighs beneath her touch, as though Kai’Sa had managed to pass on a little stability, clarity.

“I really don’t want this to be a problem,” Ahri whispers, and she recognises how naïve that sounds even as she says it. “At the least, it shouldn’t be a problem for _you_ ,” she adds, looking between Akali and Kai’Sa. “That’s the last thing I want.”

Akali makes a vulgar, dismissive noise, and bounds closer until she can wrap one arm around Ahri’s shoulders, and the other around Evelynn’s.

“We’re in this together, homos-in-arms. Your fight is my fight, comrades.”

“We’ll make t-shirts,” Kai’Sa adds.

“We’ll get knives,” Akali grins.

“No— we won’t.”

“Fine, Kai’Sa gets no knife.”

“I don’t even _want_ a knife,” Kai’Sa huffs.

Akali’s arms slip from around her friends’ shoulders. She bounces on the toes of her feet toward Kai’Sa, mimicking boxing gloves, partially chasing Kai’Sa back through the door that they had previously appeared from.

“You won’t need a knife, huh, you’re so tough already?” Akali goads her, mock-jabbing at her ribs, while Kai’Sa dances backwards and out of reach.

“I’ll show you just how tough I am if you continue…”

Ahri watches them go with something of a wobbly smile.

Her friends— ridiculous, but caring. They’ve made a family between them, in a strange way that they were forced to, being this close together all the time, but it works. It works better than Ahri could have ever wished for, and she’d trade it for nothing in the world. They’re hers and she loves them.

When she turns her gaze on Evelynn, the other woman seems to sink into herself with a sigh.

Ahri offers a hand out to her, and Evelynn does not hesitate to take it.

“How are you feeling?” Ahri asks her. Evelynn looks back at her, and she is exhausted, Ahri can already see. Evelynn is still and quiet and self-contained in a way that takes more effort than Evelynn would admit, and it makes her chest ache just to see it. “You should eat something,” Ahri presses, squeezing the hand that she’s holding. “Would you like me to make you anything?”

“No,” Evelynn whispers, shaking her head. She looks almost guiltily at Ahri, like she’s struggling, like she hates it. “I’m _hungry_.”

As she says it, a visible tremor goes through her body.

“Then, let me help you.”

Evelynn shakes her head again. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

Ahri releases her hand.

She steps close enough that she can take Evelynn’s face between both palms, cupping it gently, forcing her to meet Ahri’s gaze. She kisses her once, chaste but lingering, and brushes her thumbs against Evelynn’s cheeks with infinite care. She loves her. She loves her more than she hates the situation that they’re in, and tonight that can be all that matters— they will deal with the rest, as long as they have this.

“I won’t let you,” she promises, and Evelynn gives in to her with a sigh.

 

 

Later, when the house has long since fallen quiet, and the moon is visible and full through the slanted window blinds, Evelynn lies peacefully with Ahri’s body draped across her chest. They’re both naked but for the sheet that covers them, tangled and uneven as it is, but the room’s temperature is not unpleasantly cool.

Evelynn has one hand in Ahri’s hair, where she’d been stroking fingers against her scalp, and the other at the small of her back.

She stretches ever so slightly beneath Ahri, and rubs her hand along the bottom of Ahri’s back until her tail curls pleasantly upward, further disrupting the bedsheet. Ahri lifts her head, roused, to see her. She is drooping eyes and the smile that she wears after their love making. Evelynn feels that smile soft inside her chest, and warm.

“We’ll figure it out,” Ahri says, and confirms Evelynn’s suspicion that the meeting with Yung had been heavy on both their minds. She draws her hand down to Ahri’s cheek, cupping her face, the pad of her thumb brushing against Ahri’s plump lower lip. “We’ll talk to him again. He’ll see reason.”

“I don’t feel as optimistic,” Evelynn says, her voice quiet and low, gravelly from the shouts that Ahri had drawn out of her earlier, and the disuse its seen since.

“I know.” Ahri sighs as she says it, but shifts on the bed so that they are properly face-to-face. She presses a kiss to Evelynn’s lips, and Evelynn keeps her there with a hand at the back of her neck, releasing her when she has had her fill of sweet kisses. “I have faith in him, that he’ll see why this is so important. Short of going public without him, we don’t really have a choice.”

“Would that be so bad?” Evelynn asks, like she’s testing the idea out. “Coming out?”

“No,” Ahri whispers, and she looks at her so tenderly that it makes Evelynn ache. “No, it wouldn’t be bad at all. I’m not prepared to hide this forever, Evie, I just want it to go as smoothly as possible. I don’t want anything else, anything unexpected, to get in our way. If we reason this out, I think we can make it as easy as possible for them, as well as for us.”

Evelynn holds her gaze, contemplative, until Ahri lowers her head to her chest again.

They struggle with the blanket a moment, until they have it covering them both, and Ahri slides off from on top of her to wrap herself around Evelynn’s back— their preferred sleeping position. When they are settled, again, Evelynn finds Ahri’s hand beneath the blanket and twines their fingers comfortably together.

“Sometimes, smoothly isn’t always an option.”

Ahri hums against her back in discontent agreement.

 

 

 

Almost a week later, Evelynn finds herself separated from Ahri at an awards event.

Their latest album was released just after the cut-off point to be eligible for any awards tonight, but K/DA were invited to celebrate the winning artists and enjoy the live performances throughout the night. Their table is in a favourable central location, surrounded by others, and the night is festive and encouraging.

Evelynn, still smiling from something Kai’Sa has said, gently detaches herself from the conversation happening around her to scan the room. It takes her longer than anticipated to find Ahri. She’s with a familiar member of Yung’s management team, and engaged in a conversation with another group whose music Evelynn knows she admires.

Ahri is wearing an excited smile as they talk, and it broadens the one on Evelynn’s own face to see it.

“She’s still talking?” Akali asks, pushing herself into Evelynn’s personal space with a hand on the back of her chair. Evelynn nods her head with a noise of agreement. “She’s been dragged around all night. Why don’t they just let her relax?”

It’s a reasonable question, and trust Akali to voice it so bluntly. Now that she has, however, it makes Evelynn question the management team’s motivation. Ahri had jumped at the opportunity to meet more artists from the industry, whose work she is both familiar and fond of, but Evelynn can’t help but get the feeling that there’s something _off_ about the way that Ahri’s entire evening has been colonized, practically scheduled.

It’s almost as if, she thinks, with mounting dread, they’re trying to keep her occupied— to keep Ahri _away from her_.

The second that the thought crosses her mind, Evelynn’s face falls.

She tries to dismiss it, to out-reason herself, but then Ahri catches her eye from across the room and sends her a mock-pleading look as she is lead off to yet another table of music artists.

“Hey, where are you going?” Akali asks her as the chair shifts out from under her hand.

Evelynn hadn’t even realised she’d stood, but now that she’s up, she knows exactly what her purpose is.

“I’ll be just a moment. Mind my drink?”

Akali looks minutely concerned, but Evelynn’s set smile must appease her. “Sure.”

Evelynn parts crowds without thought. She has a reputation that has long since outgrown her, and no real concern about fixing it. She is a headstrong woman working within an industry that is largely dominated by men, and she doubts little else than to come out unfavourably within their minds, and the public eye, because of it. Besides, it has its uses, sometimes.

Take now, for instance— she is a figure in black as she weaves around tables and chairs, and those still standing and talking now that the stage they had come to watch is empty, and she is uninterrupted in her path.

Evelynn finds Ahri at a table not too far away, seated and wrapped up in conversation. There are people with cameras posed in preparation of a picture between Ahri and the boy band that she’s sitting with. Even here, exhausted as she clearly is from all of the social interaction, Ahri handles herself with grace. She does not see Evelynn as she approaches from behind, and Ahri’s presence is captivating enough that conversation does not stop until Evelynn reaches her, one hand on the back of Ahri’s chair, the other slipping down the front of her dress.

Ahri jolts against her touch, alarmed, and as she turns to see her, Evelynn captures her in an open-mouthed kiss.

Evelynn can see the flash of the cameras even behind her closed eyes.

A noise of muted shock fills Evelynn’s mouth, but after her initial surprise, Ahri kisses her back, dazed, until Evelynn’s fingers squeeze around her breast. They part to the silence of the table. Beside them, Ahri’s companion from their manager’s team has turned stark white.

There is a strength to Ahri’s gaze that compels Evelynn not to look away, even as her hand retreats from the front of her dress. “I wish you would have told me you were going to do that,” Ahri says, just for Evelynn to hear, their faces still so close that Evelynn can feel her breath against her swollen lips.

“I’m sorry,” she whispers back, and means it.

Ahri just nods her head.

“We’ll talk about it later.”

Her hand curls up around Evelynn’s cheek and she draws her in again, for a chaste kiss this time, all reassurance and _excitement_ , because there’s no turning back now.

“Don’t be much longer, please,” Evelynn tells her when they part, and Ahri agrees with a small nod.

 

When Evelynn returns to her table, it’s to a shit-eating-grin from Akali, and Kai’Sa’s slow clapping.

“What?” she asks, reaching for her drink, and downs the lot.

She barely feels it but for the warmth that fills her chest.

“Your phone is ‘bout to blow the fuck up,” Akali grins, clapping her on the back. “Proud of you.”

Kai’Sa, with equal amusement, nods her head as though to say the same.

Evelynn smiles at the pair of them, and then turns where she’s standing, to spy Ahri from across the room. She’s still seated at the table, where conversation appears livelier. She is the prettiest shade of pink that Evelynn has ever seen, and then she turns, as though feeling Evelynn’s gaze upon her, and looks straight at her.

Oh, yes, they may get shit for this.

In fact, Evelynn would be disappointed if they didn’t, because seeing Ahri with that smile on her face (and it is _hers_ , it is _just for her_ , Evelynn knows), fills her with so much strength that Evelynn knows that she can fight for her, if she needs to.

And, she will.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you so much for reading -- feedback is hugely appreciated, and i'm accepting prompts for these two over on tumblr if you feel like dropping by. link in my bio! <3


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